Pain.

It's hot.

I want to scream.

I want to die.

Please stop.

I couldn't bear it anymore.

"How did I end up in this place?" I muttered weakly as my body was engulfed by red flames.

I thrashed, trying to extinguish the flames that licked hungrily at my flesh, but it was no use. The pain was indescribable—like nothing I had ever experienced before. Every nerve ending was on fire, and the scent of burning flesh filled my nostrils.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

Just a moment ago, I remembered standing on the deck of my office, staring at the city below, waiting for my secretary to arrive. When, all of a sudden, my vision went black, and the moment I opened my eyes...

"Curse child!"

"Kill the curse child!"

"We're doomed if we let him live!"

"O great Azrael, please forgive your forsaken place!"

I found myself tied to a huge cross shrouded in fire, situated in the middle of a ritualistic place.

The place was dimly lit, but the searing flames illuminated the area with an eerie glow. The walls were adorned with strange symbols and drawings that I could not comprehend, and a thick, pungent scent hung heavily in the air, making it hard to breathe.

The room was circular, and the cross was situated in the center of the room, with a large pentagram drawn on the ground surrounding it. The fire burned brightly in the center of the pentagram, and as I looked around, I could see skulls and bones scattered throughout the room . Clearly showing that I'm not the first one who suffered this ordeal.

In front of me were people with pale skin and horns on their foreheads. They watched every fiber of my being engulfed by the never-ending flames.

Their faces were filled with shock, joy, and rage. They cursed me and pleaded for me to die, but...

Looking at my skin that was burned and healed at such a fast rate, I knew, and they knew, I couldn't.

Burn... heal... burn... heal...

I don't know how many times I've watched this scene unfold. Hours? Days? Weeks? It felt like an eternity. No matter what I do, I can't escape this cycle.

"P-Please, l-let me die," I murmured as tears streamed down my cheeks.

'You give up? You only have this much? The world's richest man only amounts to this much!?'

Suddenly, I heard a voice. It was low and deep, resonating inside my own head.

I don't know if I finally lost it or if it's a trick that demon used to increase my suffering, but just to forget the pain, I chose to reply to it.

"Y-Yes... I'm t-tired... I just want to rest."

'Don't fuck with me! Compared to your suffering before, this is nothing!'

"Ah..."

Thinking about it, the words that my mind was saying were right. He's right; this is nothing. I'm the world's richest man and the most powerful one.

I sacrificed everything. I worked myself through sweat and tears. I trampled on and destroyed anything that came in my way. The amount of blood that I shed, I sacrificed. Those competitors who threatened me, their cold bodies that I disposed of.

I watched myself get addicted to the feeling of being at the top and having power given to me by a deity called money.

Some people might say that my previous situation was better than this one, but I beg to differ. I just want to live a happy and peaceful life, to have a good night's sleep without worrying about who could kill me or how I might die. A life without people looking at me like a hungry beast.

I wanted to return to my old self, where a simple meal was enough to satisfy me. But no, being at the top filled my mind with nothing but greediness.

"Y-Yeah... c-compared to t-that... t-this is nothing."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

As I spoke, tears streamed down my cheeks, and my vision went blurry. The world before me faded to black, and I lost consciousness.

***

-BOOOM!

"We were under attack!"

"Humans!!"

"The barrier has been destroyed!"

"Run..!!"

"The humans are here to capture us!"

Awaking me from my slumber was the huge uproar in my surroundings. Different screams rang out in the air.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at what was happening. I blinked numerous times to make sure I was seeing correctly. What lay in front of me was a scene that I never, in my life, would have wanted to see.

A pool of blood covered the entire floor of the place, as limbs and corpses could be seen sprawled all over the floor. The corpses each had their eyes wide open, and their expression was that of pure terror.

Chills ran down my spine as this gruesome scene slowly imprinted itself on my mind.

Slowly, I lifted my head and then saw it...

A group of men were butchering people with pale skin and horns as if they were killing a bunch of pigs. Their expressions were filled with joy mixed with craziness.

"Kill all the old demons and only capture the young ones!"

Leading from the front was a bulky man with coal-black hair and eyes. With every slash of his broadsword, his muscles bulged. Surrounding his feet were numerous black spheres covered with crimson blood.

"Boss, it looks like we got lucky this time."

In the rear was a lanky man holding a scythe with both hands. His scythe decapitated the heads of every demon he met.

"Redeem yourself to God!"

Behind them was a priest with his hands clasped and his eyes closed. After he muttered something, his body would be covered with light, and every demon that approached it would turn into dust.

Their moves that synchronized with each other filled the gap of their disadvantage in numbers.

'What? What's happening!?'

I couldn't comprehend the hell that's happening. No, rather, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Who could do so?

The scene before me was outside the realm of my understanding. I grew up believing that demons were the ones who mercilessly killed humans. From the biblical books to the fiction novels, it's always the damned demon who makes humanity suffer. Like when the plot is about a cataclysm or demon king cliche.

"What the fuck is going o-?"

-Rumble..

Interrupting my words was the sound of the ground shaking.

A voluminous demon with a twisted horn appeared. He was holding an axe in his right hand and the decapitated head of a man whose face was filled with terror in his left hand. It clearly showed that the end of man is not a good one.

-Bang!

Throwing the head aside, the demon rushed toward the bulky man like a bull. With every step he takes, cracks are left behind.

He swung his axe 45 degrees, aiming for the bulky man's neck. Seeing that his prey was busy killing another demon, a triumphant smile appeared in the demon's face.

-BOOOM!

A loud explosion rang out. Dust scattered into the air, and large debris fell from the ceiling.

"Shit!"

Closing my eyes, I felt the cross that I tied in shake and the hot sensation in my body weaken.

After the dust settled, I slowly opened my eyes, and what I saw made my eyes wide open.

The bulky man caught the axe with his bare hand. His eyes were filled with malice, which shows that the attack pissed him off.

The demon's hand shook, and a small crater appeared under his feet. His previous smile was nowhere to be seen and was only filled with a horrified expression. Sweat appeared on his forehead.

Not giving the demon a chance to collect himself, the bulky man slashed his sword.

-Spurt..

The demon's figure was split in half. Putting his broad sword on his shoulder, the bulky man picked up a black sphere and shattered it.

-Crack!

Just like that, the demon lost his life.

"B-Boss, why did you destroy the core? We can sell it at a high price!" The lanky man asked, stupefied by his boss's action.

The bulky man glared in his direction and asked,

"Are you questioning me?"

"It's not that, boss," the lanky man answered. Tightening his grip on his scythe, he said,

"It's money, and you wasted it."

-Bang!

A force in his stomach interrupted his complaint.

"Guh..ah." Falling to his knees, the lanky man grimaced in pain.

Unclenching his fist, the bulky man said, "Don't ever question me."

The lanky man nodded. When he saw that his back was turned to him, he gritted his teeth and stood up. He picked up the scythe that had been thrown nearby.

"Just you wait."

***

'Strong'

That's the only word I could use to describe the bulky man below.

Not only did he beat the twisted horned demon effortlessly, but he also made the lanky man who had killed many demons fall to his knees.

Sweat appeared in my back as I watched them pick up black spheres then vanish it into thin air.

"They said that it's the core, right?" I asked while noticing that the fire surrounding me had been put out. I think it was due to the wind and dust during the battle earlier.

The hot sensation on my body is still there, but it's weakening. I watched as my skin squirmed and healed.

Now that the pain is bearable, I finally have time to figure out my current situation.

My current body is so thin and small. Clearly, Its age was around 7 years old. Looking down, I sighed in relief.

"Thankfully, I'm still a boy, and good genes at that."

Yeah... Just like you think, just like in some novels and manwhas, I transmigrated.

-Tap. Tap. Tap

Interrupting my thoughts was a sound of large footsteps echoed in the place, becoming more and more loud, like it was approaching me.

I slowly lifted my head, and then I saw it...

Standing in front of me was the bulky man. On top of his shoulder was a broad sword covered in blood.

A shudder ran down my spine, and every hair on my body stood.

I calmed myself down and finally had the courage to speak. Opening my trembling lips, I asked,

"Who are you?"

"Hmm?"

The bulky man stared at me blankly, putting his other hand on his chin. Like wondering if I'm worth it or not.

Before I even tried to speak again, I saw my limb getting cut off, along with the left part of the cross that I tied in.

'Huh?'

Blood spurted to the ground.

I know that being burned alive hurts more, but I couldn't help wanting to scream.

Tears ran down my cheeks, and sweat appeared on my body.

I tried to scream, but no words came from my mouth.

I bit my lips and persevered.

'It hurts!'

I tried to collect my breath, but when I saw the crimson blood coming from my left arm, I suddenly felt dizzy, and my vision became blurry.

The bulky man is still standing in front of me, observing my reaction and behavior.

"Interesting a demon who's afraid of his own blood"

"Bring him."

That was the last word that I heard before I lost consciousness.